ACSI: millions of satisfied campers!

Camp site specialist ACSI, a Dutch company, is active throughout Europe in providing camp site information, the organization of camping tours, and the rental of camping pitches and other accommodation on camp sites.ACSI is subdivided into ACSI Publishing (camp site guides, camping DVDs and CampingCard ACSI) and ACSI Tour operating (ACSI Kampeerreizen and Suncamp holidays). All activities are fully and professionally supported by internet. ACSI's aim is to fill camp sites with a constant supply of campers in both high and low seasons. After 45 years ACSI is one of Europe's leading specialists for campers and camp sites.

History

The instigator Ed van Reine, father of the present director Ramon van Reine and sadly died in 1996, arrived at a camp site in Spain in 1965 only to find a 'fully booked' sign. Together with several colleagues from the world of education, he considered the possibility of setting up a reservation system in the Netherlands for the most popular camp sites. This resulted in ACSI (Auto Camper Service International).

The first edition comprised 55 camp sites and cost one guilder. The second edition was better designed and the third was properly printed and contained 250 sites. It became impossible for just a couple of people to visit all these sites. The (then) first selectors were recruited.

The camp site guide was an instant success with the public, mainly through ACSI's participation in trade fairs, but reservations were not part of it. However camp sites were keen to buy space for extra text and photos in the handbook. From that moment the camp site guide came into existence.

Growth

ACSI grew steadily over the years. Year after year even more inspectors visited even more camp sites, even more amenities were included, the quality of the guide was even better and the print run even higher.
Significant developments at that time happened when ACSI took everything under its own roof (ACSI became an independent publisher in 1982, before that it was Interdijk Printers), the telephone information service that the ACSI inspectors initiated (1983), the start of in-house retail sales (1985), the inclusion of separate lists of winter sports camp sites (1986), camp sites for naturists and the disabled (1988), route descriptions to camp sites (1993), the addition of reservation forms in various languages (1995) and the significant growth in products and services since 1999.

Since then camp sites guides have appeared almost overnight in other languages (Italian and German) as well as camp site guides for France, South Europe and the Benelux, the development of the camp site DVD/CD-ROM (with GPS located camp sites, highly detailed maps and in 11 languages!) and camp site information available on internet: (www.eurocampings.eu), Europe's most visited camping website (in 12 languages)!

Ongoing investment continues in product quality control and in promotion using, amongst other things, the various websites.

ACSI Kampeerreizen

ACSI introduced its caravan and motor home rallies in 1985 to offer a wider range of camping products. In addition to its knowledge of camp sites ACSI was able to build on its experiences in the field of tour operating. Holidays were organised during the seventies and eighties on behalf of the popular Dutch women's magazine Prinses, and holiday homes were offered for rent in former Yugoslavia and Denmark.

The policy here was the same - do everything under your own auspices. The in-house organisation of caravan tours with a detailed itinerary, the services of a 'reis reisleider', interesting excursions and attractive camp sites in the most beautiful parts of Europe proved a success from the beginning.

To appeal to a wider public, oversea motor home rallies were added (till 2010), and also programmes dedicated to over-wintering, sports rallies and the so-called 'light rallies' (basic rallies comprising camp sites and itineraries with all excursions available as extras). Thousands take part in ACSI's camping rallies each year.

Suncamp holidays

ACSI started renting camping pitches and camp site accommodation on internet in 2002 under the name Suncamp holidays (www.suncamp.co.uk). This website offers highly detailed information, which together with photographs of the camp sites and the types of accommodation gives a good impression of each camp site. Easy to find, take a good look at the camp site, then book direct subject to availability.

Suncamp holidays The enormous success quickly led to a follow-up. Brochures were published in Dutch and German and travel agents were brought in to promote sales.

From the third year of Suncamp holidays, English and Danish speaking campers can now book online (www.suncamp.co.uk).
From 2006 and on people from Switzerland (suncamp.ch) and Poland (suncamp.pl) can book their holidays via Suncamp. In 2007 suncamp.fr (France) and suncamp.it (Italy) are added.
From 2009 Suncamp holidays put his own mobilhomes at several camp sites.

CampingCard ACSI

To stimulate low season camping, ACSI introduced the CampingCard ACSI in 2004, a low season discount card. Anyone purchasing one of ACSI's camp site guides receives this card free. Information on how CampingCard ACSI works is contained in the camp site guide, together with a list of participating camp sites and a general map of Europe. Campers can order this card separately, for example from the DVD or by internet, and by so doing receive a separate CampingCard ACSI Handbook free.

The CampingCard ACSI guide is published in Dutch, German, English, French and Danish.

Internet

All ACSI products make use of internet as a source of information, promotion and sales. Not only does ACSI have 10 of these websites online, half of them are available in several languages.
The most important sites are www.acsi.eu, www.eurocampings.eu en www.suncamp.nl.

Personeel

Staff Mr van Reine senior started on his own during the Sixties; ACSI currently has 98 permanent employees and around 325 inspectors and 60 'tour escort couples' on a freelance basis. Were it not for the expertise, knowledge and dedication of these faithful ACSI people, ACSI would never have become such a major player in the European market.

Toekomst
ACSI has set as its goal to inform as many campers as possible about European camp sites and provide them with camping tours and camp site holidays. All this means that more and more Europeans can take advantage of the indigenous camp site information on and offline, as well as all ACSI's other camp site products.

Ramon van Reine, director

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1966 - 2011

	1966 1.000 ex.
1967 2.000 ex.
	1968 5.000 ex.
1969 4.000 ex.
	1970 10.000 ex.
1971 8.000 ex.
	1972 8.000 ex.
1973 7.000 ex.
	1974 9.000 ex.
1975 11.000 ex.
	1976 10.000 ex.
1977 12.000 ex.
	1978 14.500 ex.
1979 18.000 ex.
	1980 20.000 ex.
1981 25.000 ex.
	1982 20.000 ex.
1983 28.000 ex.
	1984 30.000 ex.
1985 33.100 ex.
	1986 40.000 ex.
1987 40.000 ex.
	1988 40.000 ex.
1989 50.000 ex.
	1990 50.000 ex.
1991 56.000 ex.
	1992 68.000 ex.
1993 65.000 ex.
	1994 71.000 ex.
1995 75.000 ex.
	1996 75.000 ex.
1997 72.000 ex.
	1998 68.000 ex.
1999 65.000 ex.
	2000 65.000 ex.
2001 65.000 ex.
	2002 65.000 ex.
2003 63.000 ex.
	2004 61.000 ex.
2005 58.000 ex.
	2006 58.000 ex.
2007 54.000 ex.
	2008 49.000 ex.
2009 53.000
	2010 50.000
2011 50.000

Tel.:	+31 (0)488 452055
Fax:	+31 (0)488 451250